The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different inclusion levels of semi-purified glycerine in the diet of feedlot lambs on feeding behaviour, nutrient intake and digestibility, carcass ...characteristics, meat quality and in vitro degradability. Thirty-two Dorper × (Texel × Suffolk) crossbred intact male lambs (22.2 ± 5.51 kg) were fed glycerine (90% purity) at 0, 120, 240 or 360 g/kg dry matter (DM) in a total mixed ration with a roughage to concentrate ratio of 40:60 for 84 d. In vitro degradability was not affected by glycerine supplementation. Feeding behaviour and digestibility of DM, crude protein and fibre and production performance were similar among treatments. Ether extract digestibility was lower at the highest inclusion level. Glycerine level had no effect on ruminal pH, carcass characteristics and meat quality, except for subcutaneous fat thickness which was lower for lambs fed glycerine at 240 and 360 g/kg DM. Scores for unpleasant taste, unpleasant odour, succulence and softness of meat were not affected by dietary glycerine level. These data suggest that there are no adverse effects on carcass quality and performance when semi-purified glycerine is provided up to 360 g/kg DM in the diet of growing lambs fed a forage to concentrate ratio of 40:60.
Abstract In the present study, catalytic activity of dense, porous, electrospun membranes of polysulfone (PSF) and polysulfone with sulfonated polystyrene (PSF_PSS) have been evaluated in reactions ...of esterification of oleic acid with methanol, in times that varied from 10 to 480 minutes. Conversion to biodiesel has been confirmed by FTIR and quantified through gas chromatography. The results showed the catalysts used were effective in the esterification reaction studied and the PSF_PSS electrospun membrane has presented the best conversion to methyl oleate, reaching 70.5% in a 10-minute reaction and 95.8% in a 240-minute reaction, when methanol:oleic acid molar ratio of 10:1, 5% of catalyst and temperature of 100 °C were used. Considering the performance of solid catalysts described in literature, mainly related to reaction times and conversion of the process, this study reveals a promising feasibility of using electrospun membranes of PSF_PSS for developing a heterogeneous acid catalyst aimed to biodiesel synthesis.
The frontal sinuses can provide significant evidence for forensic identification. The peculiarity of the frontal sinus contours allows a precise and meticulous analysis, reducing the risk of errors ...on the part of the forensic experts. To describe the use of cone-beam computed tomography as an alternative to obtaining images of the frontal sinuses. In addition, it is proposed the adoption of some anatomic references to do the axial slicing, which should have its plan being tangent to the upper limit of the orbital cavities, as well as the sagittal slicing, which should be done under the midline, so that all sinus boundaries would be observed while error margin in obtaining comparative images would be reduced. The comparison of frontal sinus images by cone-beam computed tomography can be used as an additional method in the identification process, providing the expert with a greater reliability.
A permanente cobertura vegetal do solo, em Florestas de Araucária, contribui na conservação de sua biodiversidade edáfica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial da fauna edáfica e das ...variáveis ambientais explicativas (físico-químicas e microbiológicas do solo) na discriminação de florestas com araucária nativa e reflorestada. Avaliaram-se florestas com Araucaria angustifolia nativa (NF) e reflorestada (RF) em três regiões distintas no estado de São Paulo, representando três repetições. Em cada área, 15 amostras de solo foram coletadas para avaliação dos atributos físicos, químicos e microbiológicos e, nos mesmos pontos, procedeu-se às coletas da fauna utilizando-se o método de armadilhas de queda (Pitfall traps). A fauna do solo foi influenciada pela sazonalidade, apresentando maior abundância de indivíduos no verão. Os grupos Collembola, Formicidae e Coleoptera foram os mais abundantes, independentemente da época de amostragem e tipo de floresta. A Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP) e Análise Canônica Discriminante (ACD) claramente diferenciaram as áreas de araucárias. Na ACP, Hemiptera, Collembola e Diplopoda ficaram associados à RF no inverno, principalmente pelos maiores valores de matéria seca da serapilheira. Já em NF, foram os grupos Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Araneae e Coleoptera, explicados pela melhor qualidade do solo e da serapilheira. No verão, ficaram associados à NF, os grupos Formicidae, Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Araneae, Coleoptera e Collembola, explicados pelos maiores valores de CBM, Ca, P, C-org, macroporosidade e atividade de desidrogenase. Na ACD, a abundância de grupos taxonômicos foi o atributo da fauna edáfica mais importante para a discriminação das florestas. Da mesma forma, a umidade do solo, teor de P no solo, porosidade total e teor de S na serapilheira contribuíram na discriminação das florestas. A semelhança entre as áreas, em relação aos grupos da fauna edáfica, indica que está ocorrendo uma estabilidade das áreas reflorestadas comparável às nativas. Palavras-chave: Floresta nativa e reflorestada; Análise multivariada; Invertebrados de solo; Biodiversidade do solo The permanent plant cover of the soil, in Araucaria forests, contributes to the conservation of the soil biodiversity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the soil fauna in discriminating native and reforested Araucaria forests. Native (NF) and reforested (RF) Araucaria angustifolia forests were evaluated in three regions of the state of São Paulo, representing three true replicates. In each area, fifteen soil samples were collected for the evaluation of the physical, chemical, and microbiological attributes and at the same points, the fauna was collected, using pitfall traps. The soil fauna was influenced by seasonality, presenting greater abundance of individuals in the summer. Collembola, Formicidae and Coleoptera groups were the most abundant ones, independently of the sampling season and the forest type. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA) clearly differentiated native or reforested Araucaria areas. In PCA, Hemiptera, Collembola and Diplopoda were associated with RF in the winter, mainly due to the higher litter dry mass values. In NF, Orthoptera, Hymenoptera, Araneae and Coleoptera groups were explained by the higher quality of soil and litter, which was associated with NF. In summer, the groups Hemiptera, Orthoptera, Araneae, Coleoptera and Collembola, associated with NF, were explained by the higher values of microbial biomass carbon, Ca, P, organic carbon, macroporosity and dehydrogenase activity. In the CDA, the abundance of taxonomic groups was the most important attribute of the soil fauna for the discrimination of the forests. Likewise, soil moisture, soil P content, total porosity, and sulfur content of the surface litter contributed to discrimination between forests. There was some similarity between areas regarding certain groups of soil fauna, which we suggest being a result of the stability reached by the reforested areas, rendering them somewhat similar to the native ones. Keywords: Native and reforested forests; Multivariate analysis; Soil invertebrates; Soil biodiversity
Capacitors are used as sensors in several applications. Typically, the quantity to be measured changes either the geometric properties of the structure used as a capacitive sensor or the physical ...properties of the dielectric between the electrodes of that structure. On the other hand, if the sensor geometry maximizes the capacitance due to fringing, then the possibilities are totally different. In this case, the electric field can be projected onto the test sample. This paper covers the usage of fringing field sensors to measure the water present in the soil. We examine how the geometry of the PCB-made interdigited electrode structure influences the characteristics of the sensor. However, fringing field sensors are difficult to be analytically modeled due to its intrinsic nonlinear characteristic. Therefore, our conclusions were mainly based on results of simulations, but we also tried to reproduce the results of the simulations experimentally. Also, we discuss a circuit that converts the changes in the sensor's capacitance into variations in the width of a pulse signal. Finally, the proposed solution has been experimentally compared with the standard gravimetric method to quantify the water content in the soil. The results were encouraging since the proposed sensor's measurements fit to the experimental data with a coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.94.
Soy production in Brazil is an important factor for the agro-industrial, economic, and social development of the country. The expansion of soy in the Brazilian territory is mainly due to the ...incorporation of new genetic characteristics into cultivars that granted resistance to the Cerrado conditions and to herbicides. Currently, Brazilian soy production is the result of genetically modified cultivars. Studies regarding the chemical composition of soybeans show that qualitative and quantitative variations can occur, depending on the region of production. This work aimed to investigate the chemical composition of soybeans produced in different cities of the Triângulo Mineiro region/MG, Brazil (Harvest 2017/2018) and stored in three warehouses located in the city of Uberaba/MG. The grain analysis was made by liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-MS-ESI). The classes of metabolites identified from methanolic extraction were organic acids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, sugars, amino acids, dipeptides, nitrogenous bases, nucleosides, sphingolipids, and fatty acids. The isoflavones genistein, daidzein, glycitein, genistin, acetyldaidzin, and acetylgenistin were identified in soybeans from the three warehouses. The flavonoid eriodictyol-O-hexoside was also found. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) from the mass spectrum data obtained by direct injection in the negative and positive modes evidenced the well-defined separation of three groups, indicating that there was variance among the soy samples from each warehouse. The samples from warehouses 1 and 3 showed greater similarity in the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) in negative mode, while in positive mode, the samples from warehouses 2 and 3 presented greater similarity.
Multilayer films were prepared through a self-assembly technique of proteases. Solutions of pepsin, lysozyme and trypsin at 10⁻⁵ M (pH 6.4, pH 6.4, and pH 7.6, respectively) were used as precursors ...for film building. The wettability of the film surfaces were estimated by contact angle measurements indicating a higher hydrophobicity to trypsin. This was in agreement to the calculated surface tension components. The patterns of the films were examined using atomic force microscopic images. Surfaces before and after bacteria (Escherichia coli) interactions were also characterized. The results indicate that the hydrophobicity plays a key role in bacterial adhesion and that roughness can be considered as a secondary factor.
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